Ch.31031. Protagonist

Gilbert, who became Professor Briana’s exclusive disciple, began receiving her instruction every morning. Though it was the start of a grueling daily routine that began before sunrise, with the maximum effect of the Merit Badge, he started growing noticeably day by day.

Although Gilbert had been Professor Briana’s exclusive disciple countless times in his previous playthroughs, this was the first time he was seriously learning the Winter Sword technique. In the game, he only trained enough to acquire the Winter Sword since the system provided appropriate adjustments even with moderate effort.

But now that it had become reality, even with the game system in place, there were no automatic adjustments like in the game. It was different from when he acquired Lionheart and the mana cultivation method had simply appeared in his mind.

Nevertheless, his skills as a Tactical Combat veteran hadn’t disappeared. Even though he had only learned moderately, since it had been in virtual reality, Gilbert’s combat style was almost identical to Professor Briana’s.

Additionally, Gilbert had trained in MMA in the real world and was skilled in full-body combat, making his rate of progress astonishing even to Professor Briana.

“Attack more sharply, Gilbert!”

“Hup!”

Gilbert caught his breath, slid toward Professor Briana, and swung his mana-coated elbow like a sword. Seeing his surprise attack born from explosive acceleration, Professor Briana smiled faintly and countered with her own mana-coated elbow.

Thud!

The sound of heavy objects colliding echoed through the training hall. After that attack, Gilbert collapsed to the ground. His mana had been depleted from the training that had begun in the early morning.

Professor Briana signaled the end of the morning training as the sun began to rise.

“Good work. Make sure to do your mana cultivation before you leave.”

“Understood.”

Briana quietly watched as Gilbert sat down and began his mana cultivation. She frowned at his defenseless posture but soon sighed and shook her head.

This new exclusive disciple was somewhat unpredictable. Aside from having a similar sword style to hers, he seemed to trust her too easily despite her only recently becoming his exclusive master. On the first day of training, she had scolded him for carelessly performing mana cultivation just like now, but his response had been remarkable.

He had said that the safest place was beside his master who was watching over him.

She had wanted to scold him further after hearing that, but there was nothing to say when a disciple expressed trust in his master. Telling someone receiving instruction not to trust their teacher would be contradictory.

As the sun fully rose, Gilbert, who had been regulating his breathing, slowly opened his eyes.

“Gilbert. I’m certain I told you not to perform mana cultivation defenseless?”

Professor Briana, who had remained in place until her disciple opened his eyes, scolded Gilbert with fire in her eyes. But Gilbert answered with his usual unchanging expression as he stood up.

“I did so because you were here, Master.”

“What if I had gone somewhere in the meantime?”

“I thought you would stay, Master.”

Briana lost her words at his firm belief and clicked her tongue. She felt that arguing further would only entangle her more.

But Gilbert had acted this way because he knew Professor Briana well enough. She was a person with a strong sense of responsibility and quick to respond in emergencies, so Gilbert had simply made the most rational choice.

However, unaware of these circumstances, Professor Briana simply thought Gilbert was placing excessive trust in her.

“Let’s end this meaningless argument. I’m starting to regret taking you as my exclusive disciple.”

“Thank you for today’s lesson as well.”

“I merely did my duty.”

Gilbert inwardly smiled at Professor Briana’s blunt words and grabbed the doorknob to return to the dormitory.

“Gilbert. Something just came to mind.”

“What is it, Professor?”

Gilbert, who was about to leave, turned back at Briana’s words that stopped him in his tracks.

“Yes. It will be announced today, but there will be a first comprehensive evaluation soon.”

Demeia Academy conducted periodic comprehensive evaluations to measure academic performance.

Students would take a total of seven comprehensive evaluations throughout the academic year, which assessed how well they could apply what they had learned in their courses in appropriate situations.

The first comprehensive evaluation typically began about a month after the start of the new academic year, and it was precisely that time now.

Gilbert quickly calculated the dates at Professor Briana’s words. It had been about a month since the entrance mock battle, so it was indeed time for the first comprehensive evaluation.

‘This is the beginning of the next main story.’

The main story following Teacher Yan was the first comprehensive evaluation. It contained many events and was known among gamers as “Chapter 1 of the Main Story.”

“Since this first comprehensive evaluation will last a week, I’ll temporarily suspend morning training until it’s over. I don’t want to hear excuses that my teaching affected your performance negatively.”

“Thank you for your consideration.”

“No need to thank me. Now that you’re my disciple, I won’t tolerate poor grades.”

“Understood. I’ll take my leave now.”

Gilbert left the training hall under Professor Briana’s cold gaze.

Returning to his dormitory, Gilbert took a hot shower and began reviewing his plans for the first comprehensive evaluation. Considering that the difficulty of Tactical Combat began to increase from the first comprehensive evaluation, there could be no room for error.

From finishing his shower until arriving at the classroom, Gilbert’s plan review involved endless modifications.

***

Ian knew well that he was a genius. Since childhood, he had always taken less time than others to reach a certain level in whatever he started, and had no difficulty catching up to those who had started before him.

In those days, he wondered why others found such easy tasks difficult, but as he grew older and realized that people had different talents, he came to understand that he was different from ordinary people.

Those around him were quick to praise him as an unprecedented genius of the Linebarel family, and as the youngest member of the family who received much affection, he naturally developed the perception that he was special.

And there was an event that punctuated this belief. It was the day Ian first piloted a God-Machine.

When Ian turned 15, he piloted a God-Machine for the first time. After completing the contract with an artificial spirit and activating the God-Machine, Ian felt as if the machine had become an extension of his body. This sense of unity immediately led to the manifestation of a characteristic skill, and everyone observing Ian’s piloting was astounded when they realized this fact.

Although people of the continent could obtain characteristic skills through divine blessing, many died without ever acquiring one because the conditions for manifestation were unknown. Even if one did acquire a characteristic skill, many were useless—but Ian had awakened a characteristic skill related to God-Machines.

Once called an unprecedented genius, he was now referred to as the genius of the century. Naturally, the Linebarel family assigned him the best teachers and spared no support. Whatever Ian needed, regardless of what it was, found its way into his hands.

With this turn of events, Ian began to think one thing:

If there was a protagonist in this world, it was none other than himself.

It was around this time that his attitude changed. He took special care to act with the dignity befitting a protagonist and approached people without prejudice. Whether noble or commoner, it made no difference to him, as he believed they all existed for him, the protagonist.

Thus, with the full support of his family and, by extension, the territory’s residents, he cultivated the dignity of a protagonist.

As time passed, the day came to prove his blue blood. Although Demeia Academy attracted the empire’s finest talents, he believed in his genius and his theory of being the protagonist.

Indeed, Demeia Academy had many people more talented than anyone he had seen in his territory. While there were people who had been called geniuses at least once wherever they went, he couldn’t shake the belief that they were inferior to him, the protagonist.

Until the entrance mock battle began, Ian’s thinking remained unchanged. He firmly believed that, as the protagonist, he would once again receive everyone’s attention and earn the famous Commander’s Merit Badge.

So the entrance mock battle began, and Ian met him.

Gilbert Lion Heart.

This notorious troublemaker from high society was the first to volunteer as commander in the entrance mock battle. Until then, Ian had thought of him as a villainous supporting character who would make him shine, but when he directly faced Gilbert’s God-Machine, he realized.

He was no mere supporting character. Gilbert’s God-Machine piloting skills, which pushed back Ian—a genius and protagonist—were too formidable to be dismissed as a supporting role. Though Gilbert’s reaction speed was clearly slower than Ian’s, who controlled his God-Machine with a characteristic skill, somehow Gilbert managed to keep up tenaciously and thwart him.

In the midst of the fierce exchange, Ian lost his composure and charged at Gilbert. At that moment, Gilbert performed an impossible evasive maneuver, causing Ian to lose control, and proudly led his team to victory in the entrance mock battle. Needless to say, he took the Commander’s Merit Badge that should have belonged to Ian.

Moreover, rumors spread widely that he had become Professor Briana’s exclusive disciple, whom Ian had his eye on. Ian thought these rumors were merely malicious and that Professor Briana would step forward to quell them, but she maintained silence without any particular reaction.

What this meant was clear: Gilbert had truly become Professor Briana’s exclusive disciple.

From that point on, Ian designated Gilbert as a rival to surpass and the ultimate villain.

Gilbert seemed to feel the same way, as whenever they encountered each other in the training hall, he would unhesitatingly engage in sabotage by suggesting that Ian shouldn’t neglect physical training. Despite it being common knowledge that knights who handle God-Machines must cultivate mana, he continued to give such seemingly nonsensical advice about physical training.

Ian brushed off this advice with a smile and bided his time. Though a genius, Ian had the self-control to smile at his archenemy’s face, no matter how much he disliked seeing it.

Then finally, the opportunity arrived. The chance to use the card he had prepared just in case. There were no flaws in the plan devised by him, a genius and protagonist.

Everything would unfold according to the plan of the “protagonist of the world,” and when it was all over…

Applause would rain down on the protagonist who had overcome adversity.

He believed this without a shadow of doubt.